Cyclamen hederifolium, the ivy-leaved cyclamen or sowbread, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae. This widespread cyclamen species is widely cultivated and among the most hardy and vigorous in oceanic climates. It is native to woodland, shrubland, and rocky areas in the Mediterranean region from southern France to western Turkey and on Mediterranean islands, and naturalized farther north in Europe and in the Pacific Northwest. Names The species name hederifolium comes from the Latin hedera (ivy) and folium (leaf), because of the shape and patterning of the leaves. The older species name, neapolitanum, refers to Naples, where the species grows. Description Cyclamen hederifolium is a tuberous perennial that blooms and sprouts leaves in autumn, grows through the winter, and goes dormant before summer, when the seed capsules ripen and open. Tuber The tuber is round-flattened and produces roots from the top and sides, leaving the base bare. In the florist's cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum), roots come from the bottom, leaving the top and sides bare. The tuber becomes larger with age; older specimens commonly become more than across. In other species, tubers do not grow as large; Cyclamen coum usually does not reach more than across. Leaves and flowers grow from buds on the exposed upper surface of the tuber Leaves The leaves are variably shaped and colored. Depending on the specimen, leaf shape varies from heart-shaped to long and arrow-shaped, usually with 2-3 angled lobes on each side, resembling the juvenile leaves of ivy (Hedera). Leaf color varies from all-green to all-silver, but the most common is a Christmas tree or hastate pattern in silver or pewter and various shades of green. The petiole and flower stalks of Cyclamen hederifolium grow outwards and then up, forming an "elbow". Plants in narrow pots often have a ring of leaves around the outside of the pot. From Latin, 'hederifolium' translates to Ivy-like leaves. In the closely related Cyclamen africanum, stalks grow up from the tuber without a bend near the base. Flowers The flowers bloom from late summer to autumn and have 5 petals, usually pink, purple, or white with a streaky magenta V-shaped marking on the nose, but sometimes pure white with no markings. The edges of the petals near the nose of the flower are curved outwards into strong auricles. These are not present in some other species, such as Cyclamen persicum. The flowers are occasionally fragrant.